Have You Seen My Childhood?
by The Great Red Dragon
Summary: A song-fic featuring Michael Jackson's "Childhood": Gantu feels alone and forgotten, but there may be somebody close by who cares for him... Revised.


(A/N: in-between my chapter-writing, I thought I'd come up with a song-fic that I thought of after I listened to a pretty sweet (and sad) track…I do not own Captain Gantu or 625; Disney does. I don't own the lyrics of 'Childhood' either; Michael Jackson does [check it out; it's awesome])

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Gantu strode quietly around in his cabin-room. He wasn't restless or agitated at something, as anybody would usually suspect. This slow shuffling from here to there was not at all like his nature…it wasn't his nature, but still something known painfully well to him. He knew his existence, and knew that it was obviously petty, chasing Experiments day and night for an employer who cared nothing for him, and being foiled and humiliated time after time by others who could honestly call themselves 'the good guys'.

_Have you seen my Childhood?_

That didn't necessarily bother him. Defeat was something he could get used to in a way that it didn't hurt…but what did hurt him was much more than a sprained ankle or a bruised butt…what added to the pain was that nobody would even think to care about his conditions. Ever since he was a boy in school, he had been shunned. Nobody wanted to hang with him, because he was just a little bit different. It was far from a disability or even any type of handicap…Gantu still wondered what it was that made him any less popular than the others...but whatever it was, it hurt.

_I'm searching for the world that I come from  
'Cause I've been looking around,  
In the lost and found of my heart..._

"Wimp". "Freaky-boy". "Queer". Those were the names that followed him throughout his school-life. Children shunning and teasing him; laughing at his sorrow and sensitivity. Any child would be more than hurt…but it hurt Gantu especially.

_No one understands me…  
They view it as such strange eccentricities,  
'Cause I keep kidding around,  
Like a child, but pardon me..._

When he entered and earned his licenses in the Galactic Federation, the names didn't improve. "Sir". "Captain". "Officer Gantu". Sure, they all held some respect towards him, but the names were default and said in grant. Never did they mean friendship, affection, or love. They were names for a drone, who supposedly didn't feel anything beyond his assigned duty. He was turned dark by others, and cold by others, and isolative by even more. He was known for his 'birth-given' hardness, and defined as a mission-bent officer. Not that it wasn't nice to feel a bit of authority…but power wasn't enough for his soul.  
  
_People say I'm not okay  
'Cause I love such elementary things...  
It's been my fate to compensate,  
for the Childhood  
I've never known..._

Even the 'good guys' couldn't see past his nasty-side, like they so often do in the movies…but, obviously, he hadn't given them much reason to…but he would've liked it so much if he had the kind of bond with someone that the little Earth-girl had with Experiment 626. He had never been given a chance to show that he could care, and that he wanted to care. Any hope that he had in his past of changing his life around for the better was squandered as he got older, and sunk deeper and deeper into his depressive existence…he did so all alone.

_Have you seen my Childhood?  
I'm searching for that wonder in my youth  
Like pirates in adventurous dreams,  
Of conquest and kings on the throne..._  
  
Gantu slowly resided his pacing. He stood still in a moment of silence, with his head and emotions down…not letting himself cry. He slowly walked over to a chest near his bunk, knelt down, and lifted it open. Reaching inside, he pulled forth a variety of mission-files, legal papers, and contracts; things that had no meaning to him. Finally, he unearthed a flat, rectangular box, so covered in dust that the colours underneath it could barely shine through. He blew away the dust carefully…and revealed an ancient board-game; his favourite from his childhood.  
  
_Before you judge me, try hard to love me,  
Look within your heart then ask,  
Have you seen my Childhood?_

Gantu only dimly remembered playing it with people other than himself. It was a simple game, but it held some emotional attachment to him that made it special. Rolling the dice and moving his marker along the coloured tiles gave him an unexplainable pleasure and enjoyment that he didn't experience anywhere else. As he grew up, the definition of 'childish' was hammered into his mind by others, and forced him to give up his simple joys, fantastic dreams, and premature loves…long before he was done with them.

_People say I'm strange that way  
'Cause I love such elementary things,  
It's been my fate to compensate,  
for the Childhood I've never known..._

Gantu closed his eyes softly…and then was forced to squeeze them. From his hard past, he had forbidden himself to cry, after making himself believe that it was a weakness. He had also made himself believe that he wasn't weak…but now that he realized this was a complete contradiction, could he at least cry now?

…He was embarrassed to…but a single tear managed to squeeze itself past his shut-tight lids and fall onto the box he held in his hands, where it wet the dust.

"…Hey, Gantu…?"  
  
_Have you seen my Childhood?  
I'm searching for that wonder in my youth  
Like fantastical stories to share  
The dreams I would dare, watch me fly..._

Gantu looked up. The small, worrisome voice came from an unexpected visitor…it was 625. He was looking more than concerned as he observed the scene…but Gantu was too disheartened to even feel embarrassed.

"Gantu…you crying?", 625 asked him gently, as he stepped into the room.  
  
"…No", Gantu answered, and he sniffed loudly.  
"I just got something in my eye, that's all…"  
  
625 looked as if he wanted to pursue the matter…but he said nothing. Yet, his face didn't seem to be able to brighten and laugh as it so often did…and Gantu felt guilty about it.

"…I-I was gonna go make myself a sandwich…I thought that you might want one, too."  
  
"…No, thank you, 625", Gantu answered quietly.  
"…I'm not hungry."  
  
"You sure? I'll make it an egg-salad just the way you like it."  
  
"No…that's all right."  
  
625 looked on, undoubtedly feeling an emotion of great sadness and emptiness in him…as everyone felt when a friend was suffering so helplessly.  
  
"…Okay…", he said finally, in a quiet tone.  
"I'll just make myself one…even though I'm not really hungry anymore…"

He turned to leave; feeling more downhearted than anybody might think…but just as he was in the doorway, he heard Gantu from behind him.

"…625?"  
  
_Before you judge me, try hard to love me.  
The painful youth, I've had…_

He turned around and looked back at Gantu.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
Gantu looked almost ashamed at himself as he asked the next question…he felt that it was either that, or losing another part of himself.  
  
"Could…uh………could you please play this game with me?"  
  
625 blinked once, and it was in noticeable confusion.  
  
"…You wanna play that game?"  
  
"Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to…but I thought…"  
  
"Sure; of course I'll play it with you!"  
  
His answer lit Gantu up inside like the brightest Christmas tree. He wanted to ask 625 if he had been serious in his answer, but that was made clear when the pudgy Experiment hurried over to him and sat down on the floor.  
  
"So, what're we playing?", he asked, not faking his anticipation.

"Oh…it's just a simple little game I used to play when I was, uh, little", Gantu answered, setting the box down on the floor and removing the lid, and 625 asked in return;  
  
"How do you play?"

"It's…quite simple. You just roll the dice, and move your marker that many spaces, and when you land on a card-square, you pick up a card and do what it says…either move forward or backward."  
  
"Cool…what colour ya wanna be?"  
  
"I don't know…you choose first."  
  
"Okay; I'll be yellow, and you be blue…yellow and blue; get it? You and me?"  
  
Gantu couldn't help but smile.  
  
_Have you seen my Childhood....

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_

(A/N: I hope y'all liked that. I think it could've been better, considering that I wrote it all in one sitting…but, overall, I'm satisfied with it.

Hey, this dedicated to my great friend BlueFox; I was inspired by your latest chapter of 'Here My Voice'…I hope you liked this as much as I liked your's   
I really hope I did a good job on this, and I pry that I didn't do the song or the characters any injustice…please let me know)


End file.
